Thursday, December 20, 2007

On my favorite board on The Nest, Katie was nice enough to put together a recipe exchange. We all decided on desserts for the exchange due to some peoples dietary restrictions. I am not sure who submitted the recipe I made (yet)...but I am pretty sure they got it from the Kraft website.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1 cup of the batter; set aside. Stir melted chocolate into remaining batter in large bowl; pour over crust. Top with spoonfuls of the remaining 1 cup plain batter; cut through batters with knife several times for swirled effect.

BAKE 40 min. or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to lift cheesecake from pan before cutting to serve. Store in refrigerator.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

I wanted to make a burger that had a buffalo chicken wing taste. Jason thought it was too salty...but I love salt and thought it was perfect. Since I did not added any salt I guess it was the cheese or wing sauce that had a high sodium content. Nonetheless - I LOVED it!

INGREDIENTS

Ground Chicken

Wing Sauce (I used Budweiser brand - SO good)

Blue Cheese Crumbles

Bread Crumbs (you may not need this depending on how "loose" your meat mixture is)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS

Combine the ground chicken, wing sauce, blue cheese and bread crumbs (feel free to add an egg if you need the meat to bind more). Shape into patties and cook on your stove top, flip as needed. I added some more wing sauce and extra virgin olive oil to the pan to keep the burger from sticking.

This was my first Pecan Pie! When trying to find just the right recipe I thought the best place to look would be the Karo Syrup website. Everyone loved it so much I have been told that I HAVE to make it for Christmas dinner!

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix, then stir in the oil. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the lemon-lime soda.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

My Notes: Mine took about 20 minutes longer to cook. I also made a glaze using powdered sugar and some left over Sprite. Next time I want to use some lemon juice and lemon zest with the powdered sugar instead of Sprite.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Jason is a BIG fan of Doritos. When I told I saw this recipe he kept asking when I was going to make it. I finally did....it was ok. We think it needed some more flavor (even though I added some spice). It was missing something.

MY NOTES: I used regular dressing and cream cheese. I also added a little more broth and some spices (garlic powder, salt, pepper, thyme and poultry seasoning). Before I place the crust on top I sprinkled on a little cheese. After cooking for 40 minutes the crust wasn't as "golden" as I had wanted so I turned the broiler on...a quick fix! I did not have a deep pie dish so 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.

Friday, November 23, 2007

When I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa I knew I had to try it for Jason's family Thanksgiving dinner. There are always so many things to chose from so it can hard to think of something new. I had never seen a cauliflower dish at their dinners so I decided to try it. It was so good and everyone said they liked it! I will certainly make this again.

INGREDIENTS

1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups hot milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

My Notes: I doubled the recipe so I ended up using 3 heads of cauliflower. I also added some extra cheese and used half and half in place of the milk. I was started to get worried when the sauce did not thicken up after adding the half and half....but I turned up the heat and everything worked out perfectly...just keep whisking. If you can not find Gruyere then you can use Swiss....but you should really try to find the Gruyere....it was very good.

Mix the shredded cheese together with the pimentos. Stir in the mayonnaise.With a metal spoon (pimientos will stain plastic or wood), stir until the mixture is well blended.Add salt and pepper to taste and stir again. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use.

To stuff the pita cut a small portion of one side, and use a knife to open the pita the rest of the way if necessary. Fill the pitas will the mixture...I put the mixture in a baggie and cut a corner of the bag and used that to pipe the pimento cheese mixture in.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

This was very tasty...and as Jason would say "This is good s@#!". I had been wanting to make this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com, and I finally had the perfect chance because we currently have no stove. We moved a week ago and have yet to take the time and buy a new one...actually we need to get a dishwasher too.

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

My Notes: I did not have an onion around so I added onion flakes. I also added some fresh garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I served it with a healthy dose of sour cream, shredded cheese and Utz White Corn Tortilla Chips.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

That is one long name! This recipe was very good and easy to make. We had some apples that Jason's Grandparents got for us while they were in the Mountains and I wanted to make something special with them. I came across this Emeril recipe on the Food Network website and thought it would be the perfect thing to try because I had all the ingredients on hand. Jason helped me out my peeling and coring the apples =)!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.

In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.

To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

When I saw Paula Deen makes these on the Food Network this past weekend I knew I had to try them out. Since they seemed more savory than sweet to me I added the bacon and cheese. These are so good that even Paula Deen doesn't add butter to them when she eats them!

Combine all ingredients and spoon into small, un-greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. (You do not need to the grease the muffin tins because of all the butter in the mix). Yield: 24 small muffins or 12 large muffins.

I halved the recipe and they came out great! I can't wait to make a full batch for the holidays.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

I was home and had no clue what I wanted to eat and I did not feel like cooking a meal for myself. So...this is what I came up with...

potato (mostly peeled and grated)

oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

salt and pepper to taste

dill to taste and for garnish

sour cream

In a skillet I heated up some oil and then added my grated potato (medium heat). Add salt, pepper and dill to taste. As you cook the potato try to keep one flat layer; stir and flip it as you go. Once it is just about done sprinkle your shredded cheese over potato. Starting from the edges start to form your patty (the cheese really helps it stick together). Once patty is formed cook for about 30 seconds, flip and cook another 30 seconds. Transfer to your plate (you may want to drain off some of the oil first), then garnish with some sour cream and dill.

Monday, October 1, 2007

It is that time of the year when pumpkin becomes popular and craved by many. Once again I turned to Allrecipes.com and I found this recipe. I added the caramel sauce to it and that made it even better! I can not wait to make this again for Thanksgiving!!!

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving

Changes: After reading over some reviews I decided to use pumpkin pie mix instead of pumpkin puree since it already had the spices in it. I also added a little extra vanilla, cinnamon and sugar to the mix.

CARAMEL SAUCE1 bag of caramels (14oz)1 can of evaporated mix (12oz)

In a pan on the stove top heat up the caramels and evaporated milk together. Allow it to cool a little so it can thicken. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the cheesecake before serving and top with some whip cream. YUM!PLEASE NOTE: If you do not want extra caramel sauce leftover when the cheesecake is gone you may want to halve this recipe.

In a large stock pot over medium high heat, combine ground beef, smoked sausage, onion, celery and garlic. Cook until beef is evenly brown. Stir in cabbage, tomatoes, water and rice. Season with garlic salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 35 to 40 minutes, or until rice is done.

Here are some of my changes: I used a can of petite diced tomatoes because that is what I had on hand. In place of water I used chicken broth. Since I do not like big pieces of onion I grated part of a red onion and used that. I also added more cabbage and liquid than the recipe called for, and I cooked it longer to soften the cabbage to our liking. For the meat I used turkey kielbasa and ground sirloin.

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously, until the brown sugar dissolves. (You can also do this in the microwave but watch it closely. The butter/sugar mixture will boil over fast. Stir every 30 seconds or so.)2. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla extract and set aside to cool.3. Beat the cream cheese and confectioner's sugar for 1 minute.4. Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture and beat again for another minute.5. Stir in the chocolate chips.6. Pour into a serving bowl and refrigerate.7. Garnish with additional chips, if you choose.

I served this will Nilla Wafers. You could also use graham crackers, chocolate graham sticks or something else sweet!

I was happy it came out SO good because all the ingredients I used were Wal-Mart brand (except the chocolate chips and Nilla Wafers).

Friday, September 14, 2007

I found this recipe on Allrecipes while looking for something to do with pork chops I had gotten on sale. They came out very good, and I always like to find a recipe where I have all the ingredients on hand.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

I am not a big fan of oatmeal and raisins...but I made these for Jason and he thought they were good....but could of been a little sweeter for his taste. I want to try it next time w/ some chocolate chips. You really can not go wrong with Quaker Oatmeal's recipe. You can find this on their website or on the Quaker Oatmeal container.

Lightly grease loaf pan with cooking spray.Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Combine all remaining ingredients except beer in a large bowl.Pour beer into the mixture and stir thoroughly - don't over mix!Pour bread batter into greased loaf pan.Bake 50-55 minutes in preheated oven.Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing.

My thoughts:

It was good, but not as much flavor as I was hoping for. It seemed more sweet than savory. But I am sure it didn't help that I forgot the salt and for some unknown reason I added baking soda. It was early that morning and I guess I could not read! I am going to play with it some more and I always want to try a sweet version.

Jason made these with some garden fresh tomatoes he got from his Dad. They were so good!

Batter

Cornmeal

Baking Powder

Flour

Oil

Canola

Bacon Grease

I do not have exact measurements, but the batter should be mostly cornmeal and fairly thick. Heat up your oil in a skillet, dip your sliced green tomatoes in the batter, place in oil and flip them so both sides are golden brown. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt as soon as you pull them out of the oil. Serve warm.

Sunday, September 2, 2007

I am not sure where I found this recipe...but they are really easy and I will be making them again soon in some other great variation. Everyone enjoyed them!

Ingredients

1 box cake mix (I use Funfetti)2 eggs1/2 cup oil (I used canola oil - you can probably use less than 1/2 cup)2 tablespoons of instant french vanilla puddingCanned frosting and sprinkles (you do not have to frost them)

Directions

Mix together the first four ingredients, drop batter on a lined cookie sheet (tablespoon size) and bake on 350 for 8-10 minutes. Let cookies cool then frost them and add sprinkles.

Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

My notes: I used Target brand root beer (Shhhh, don't tell) and Sweet Baby Ray's Hot and Spicy BBQ Sauce. Also, I added in some salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Because of my work schedule the pork cooked for 11 hours...and it still came out great! When I got home I added in the BBQ sauce and let is cook for another 30 minutes.

Jason and I liked it so much we are hoping to serve it at a housewarming party IF we get the house!

This side dish was something Jason's Great Grandma would make all the time. I changed it a little by adding in some other flavors. She would make plain white rice and not added any seasonings to the gravy....Jason's Great Grandfather loved it that way! This is something you can really make your own.

Gravy Part

1 can diced tomatoescreole seasoning (a good amount)cuminsmoked paprikared pepper flakes1/4 of waterflour and water mix

In a pan combine the first six ingredients. Heat on medium until every is hot and well combined. remove from heat and add in flour and water mixture to thicken gravy to your liking. Place back on heat and let it cook a little more so you do no taste the flour. Adjust the spices to your liking.

Rice Part (you can really do anything you'd like for the rice)

2 cups of water2 chicken bullion cubes1 cup of rice

Combine all the above ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low. Should be done in about 20-25 minutes.

Monday, August 20, 2007

We wanted something new for dinner and since we did not want to pay the money for crab legs...we had crab cakes! I also made a "seafood" dip for the crab cakes. This recipe is from my Better Homes and Garden Cook Book.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

It was late at night and I was in the mood to bake. I remembered seeing a simple three ingredient recipe for peanut butter cookies on allrecipes.com....so I tried it out. I added chocolate chips to mine!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).Combine ingredients and drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes. Let cool. Recipe doesn't make very many, so you could double recipe as you desire.

My tip: Be sure you press the cookie batter down with a fork on your baking sheet before you put them in the oven.

Brown hamburger and sausage, add in spices to your taste. Once meat is cooked drain fat and add in cream cheese, sour cream and mozzarella cheese. Mix until everything is incorporated. Fill cooked shells with mixture and place open side up in a baking dish. Sprinkle more mozzarella on top and bake until cheese is melted.

Other Successful Options: You could add mushrooms to the meat mixture, and you could also serve marinara sauce over the shells.

Grease a 10x15 jelly roll pan (I used a 9X13 glass baking dish). In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the batter. Finally, mix in mashed bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Note: I used a different size pan so they took a little longer to cook. Allow bars to cool completely before frosting. Mix together the cream cheese frosting and peanut butter and frost.

Friday, July 6, 2007

No Pudge Brownies are a boxed mix that offers you FAT FREE brownies. I recently made the Fudge version and they were great!! All you do is add yogurt (I used fat free french vanilla) to the mix and bake. I also added some caramel chocolate swirl chips to the mix. Even without the chips these brownies still would of been wonderful! Try them today!! Here is their website: http://www.nopudge.com/

This post will feature some of Jason's cooking! When Jason was growing up his Mom would make him and his sister thier own special eggs and name the eggs after each child. Jason has continued to make these eggs, and he now makes them for me too =).

Monday, June 25, 2007

Here are some photos of the Baby Shower Karla and I threw for Michelle. The food consisted of a taco bar, Mexican rice, chips and salsa, various cheeses, veggie tray and dip, fresh fruit displayed in margarita glasses for more of a Mexican theme, blue and yellow rice krispie treats, cake and punch. We went with a duck theme with blue and yellow.